Can you home school and still let your kids attend public school?

Yes you can! This year I'm giving myself a bit of a break by putting my twins in half day kindergarten and my big girl in third grade. I think at the ages they are now, it would be beyond me to sit with them each day and try to do school work. I also have my little one to think about. She has always had older siblings around and this will give me some one on one time with her. School starts in two days. So why did I spend half an hour experimenting with surface tension with my kids? Why did I have them draw observations of the experiments? Why did I correct their spelling in their science notebooks? Because I love to teach, and I am still a home schooling mom and we are still a home schooling family. The kids enjoyed the hands on learning. I learned that my son was much better at drawing than I thought he was. I saw my big girl take extra time on her handwriting and was able to give her praise for improving her skills. I will continue to lead my children in math, science, reading, and history. Teach them geography and math skills. We still go to the library often and currently I'm reading the Guardians of Ga'hoole series with my oldest. I showed my kids where Hurricane Irene was on a map. These kids need more than public school to truly thrive. I love being a part of their education too much to stop. I don't know if next year will be public school or home school, or both. But I'm looking forward to quieter afternoons with my pre-schooler and much learning with all my children. It's going to be a good year!

Fun with fresh raspberries.

My first no sew rag rug!

You can find a great tutorial at http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2008/11/secrets-of-no-sew-rag-rug.html

A fun craft/recycling project

Recently, my daughter Brindy has learned to sew little pillows for her brother's and sister's stuffed animals. To encourage her new interest and help her stay organized, I pulled together some materials for a sewing box and let her decorate it with foam stickers.

My YouTube Debut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttBJ00VMP0g

Playing dress-up

Holy weight loss goals Batman! I thought I'd wow the kids and show off my wedding dress, with me in it! I wasn't sure I could do it. Last time I tried I couldn't get it zipped nohow. But after a few months of self discipline, healthy dieting, and exercise, here I am in my teeny tiny dress!

(Pay no attention to the just-out-of-the-shower hair)
This one makes me look like I had my forehead flattened as an infant, but it's just Katy's photography work:)
Happy mom of four!

Fun cards, and Brindy's book club

First of all, I just have a confession to make. I made a mistake and went a whole $4 over on the groceries this week. Very bad I know, but hey, I'm human and I wanted a huge pile of fresh fruit! Now with that out of the way, here are some pictures of the cards and stationary I have been making from catalogs and magazines. Click to see larger image!
These cards were made from pieces cut from magazines. There's a lot of blank space on ads and also some very nice designs that you can layer and then mount the entire thing on card stock or any heavy paper to make post cards, or greeting cards, or even full pages to write a letter on! It's really fun and easy and super relaxing! Try it! Go see what you can find in that stack of outdated catalogs and get to work!

Here are some pics from some of Brindy's book club meetings she is having once a month with her little friends. It only lasts an hour. I usually make some treats for it (I like that sort of thing) and each girl brings a book to share with the others. Sometimes we exchange books until the next month's meeting.